Helix Reloaded Vol 1 Another Version of the Truth
by onelildustbunni
Summary: A writing experiment; rewriting the Helix series. It's AU and stars Julian Keller and Laura Kinney as they find themselves having to grow up-fast.
1. Chapter 1

**TITLE: **Helix Reloaded Vol 1: Another Version of the Truth  
><strong>STARRING: <strong>Hellion/X-23  
><strong>UNIVERSE: <strong>Rewrite of the Helix universe  
><strong>RATING: <strong>M  
><strong>SUMMARY: <strong>This is just a writing experiment of mine, redoing the Helix series in my present style. Don't worry, I won't stop writing the original Helix series. This seems to be taking more of a drama turn, and while it follows the same basic plotlines, I'm finding that it's become its own story.

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><p><strong>(Volume:<strong>**1**** Arc:****"Coming ****to**** Xavier****'****s" **** Issue:****1/1****)  
><strong>**"****New**** Student****"**

_**Somewhere **__**in **__**Seattle**__**…**__**  
><strong>_  
>The room is dark. Its walls and ceiling are cement, as is the floor. There is music playing quite loudly; the sound of electric guitars, drums and bass fill the air, along with the voice of a singer screaming at the top of his lungs.<p>

In the center of the room is a dirty, torn couch; and writhing around on _this_ is a pair of teenagers. The one on top has bleached blond hair, and pale skin; he is solidly built. Underneath him is a girl. She has choppy blond hair, and facial piercings, and is of a slender build; her eyes are closed as she responds to the boy on top of her, allowing him to reach under her shirt, which says _ANARCHY _in big, red, dripping letters.

A few feet away from this is another pair of teenagers. The boy of this couple has startling neon-red hair, and somewhat even features to go with a medium body frame; he's leaning against the wall, his arms caging the girl. They are kissing quite passionately.

"Mmmph," the girl against the wall says, running her black-nailed fingers through her partner's red locks. Her eyes are closed; her thick black lashes are long, and prominent against her very pale skin. Her finely-sculpted face is framed by long, silky locks of coal-black hair, which spread around her shoulders like a waterfall of ink. The body she presses against the boy is slender, like that of the other girl's, but curves more in some areas.

Suddenly, she pulls away from the boy; their mouths part with a wet _smack _ gazes at the red stain her lips have left on his, and her forehead wrinkles in confusion.

"M-megan?" she asks. "Are you…?"

No answer.

"What's wrong, babe?" her partner asks, leaning closer.

"Get the hell away from me!" She pushes at his abdomen; he looks surprised as he stumbles back a few steps, but the girl doesn't notice this as she looks frantically around the room.

_**"**__**MEGAN!**__**" **_she shouts. "Where—I can't—"

"Over here, cuz," calls the girl from the couch, as she moves the boy's face out of hers. "Something wrong?"

"I—" the dark-haired girl pauses. "Yeah. I think…I'm freaking out."

"What the—" the boy on the couch says, as Megan begins to sit up.

"Move it or lose it." She gets to her feet, stumbles slightly, then heads over to the other girl.

"You need to go?" she asks, struggling to focus.

The dark-haired girl nods.

"Okay, Laura." Megan puts her arm around her cousin's shoulders. "Less' go."

"Justa minute!" The boy Laura had been making out with protests. "She can't just get me all fired up like that and then—"

"Yeah, she _can_!" Megan hisses. "You're lucky she let you touch her in the first place, Pike. Come on…cuz. We're out of here."

**…**

Outside in the fresh air, Laura finds it easier to think. The hot summer is turning into the coolness of autumn, bringing with it thoughts of school. _School. _She closes her eyes as she sags against her cousin's shoulder. She doesn't know if she can handle another year of her claustrophobic school.

She is already too smart for the material the teachers feed her every day; and she brings home report cards proving that she is the top of her class. The other children, though, are what _really_ bother her. Not a day goes by without her getting into trouble with someone, be it staff or student. Or for bringing substances to school.

"Hey…cuz…can you walk now?" Megan grunts. "You're kind of heavy…and I'm still pretty stoned."

"Okay." Laura tentatively supports her own weight; her pocket buzzes, and she starts. "What the hell was that?"

"Calm down. It's your cell phone." Megan reaches into the pocket and withdraws a black iPhone. The word '_Mummeh__' _is flashing on the screen. "Oh, shit. It's your mom."

"Don't answer it. I'll go home now." The girl pauses and eyes her cousin. "Promise you'll always be there, Meg?"

"I promise." Megan grins. "Now go get yelled at."

**…**

_**"**__**LAURA?**__**" **_a woman's voice calls, from deeper in the house. The girl closes the door behind herself and hangs her head, the metal in the soles of her boots scraping against the tile floor. The house she has just entered is small and clean, with well-coordinated colors and strategically placed decorations, including a plethora of water color paintings.

She moves past the staircase and living room, into the kitchen, where her mother is waiting for her, still holding her cell phone. She is surprisingly like Laura in appearance: the same long, dark hair; startling green eyes; and finely molded features, along with a curvy figure. She is slightly taller, and more conservatively dressed, with a pair of glasses perched on her nose.

"Where were you tonight?" she asks, in that soft voice that warns Laura danger is coming.

"Not here." Laura sways slightly, reaches for a chair back. "Can we have this…talk…later…Sarah? My head hurts."

Sarah tilts her head. "What have you been doing to yourself, sweetheart?"

"Nothing." The girl looks at the floor. "It's…nothing."

"_Go,_to your room," Sarah orders in a firmer voice. "You're grounded. No allowance…no phone…no internet…and no Megan, for a week."

Laura makes no comment. After a few moments, she shuffles out of the kitchen and up the stairs, while Sarah presses her hand to her mouth. She looks at the phone on the kitchen wall, and wonders if she should call _him._

**…**

"Loser," a boy sitting behind Megan hisses, thwipping her ear. The girl grimaces as her earrings rattle from the motion. She turns around and gives him a death-glare, then her eyes meet Laura's, two desks to the right.

They share grins.

They both know what they'll be doing on break.

**…**

"Miss Kinney, Miss Parveen," the councilor says sternly. "That was not in the least bit amusing, what you did to poor Mr. Hodges. I hope he will recover. Don't you feel even the slightest remorse for damaging him like that?"

Laura blows out a puff of air. "What…I only broke his nose. He had it coming."

"Kinney." Mr. Grawsley leans forward. "Mr. Hodges might require surgery to correct it, if it doesn't heal properly. He could sue you, and sue the school. Is that what you want?"

"He can sue all he wants," Laura says. "I don't have anything to take. Besides, if he did that, he'd have to admit to the court why I beat him up."

The councilor leans back in his chair.

"I am recommending your expulsion from this school, Miss Kinney," he says calmly.

"What do you know? Dreams _can_come true!" Laura says, holding her hand up.

Megan high-fives her, and the councilor grimaces.

**…**

Laura closes her eyes and takes her surroundings in. The hum of the refrigerator, which bears some of her drawings. The sensation of her fuzzy slippers on her feet. Her mother, Sarah, cooking dinner. The wooden surface of the table under her elbows, her cheek leaning on her hand.

She winces. Why does everything have to be so _loud? _So _overbearing?_

"Laura. We need to talk."

Clink of the spatula. A curl of smell rises from the cooking pan; delicious sizzling hamburger. Fat and bacteria being evaporated.

"I'm sure," Laura yawns in disinterest.

"I received this today…" Sarah reaches for a letter on the counter.

Laura grins, realizing what it is. "Are you proud of me?"

"Hardly," Sarah says softly. "Laura…is this about the experiments?"

The girl blinks. She can barely remember what her mother is speaking of; the _experiments._ They only bother her in her sleep nowadays, since she's made such an effort to forget all of it. "No. I just can't stand the kids at the school. And the teachers are all pretty lame. I'm sick of it."

Sarah frowns. "Laura, you come home with three letters a day from teachers, stating how you've gotten into some fight or another. The only reason they kept you on was your grades. You could really be something if you applied your energies the right way, you know."

"But I already am something," Laura says, wrinkling her nose.

Sarah closed her eyes. Better to just come out with the news, than dance around it too long. It is obvious that Laura isn't going to make this easy.

"I'm sending you to Xavier's."

Laura's hand slaps down on the table, in shock.

"_**WHAT?**__**" **_she gasps. "But…you…_**NO!**_ That place is a death trap!"

"Laura, please."

"You can't. You're just doing this to get rid of me." Her daughter glares at her. "You feel _guilty!_ That's why you're trying to send me away."

"That's not it, sweetheart, and you know it." Sarah pauses, looks at the spatula. "I think you need to learn how to control your powers. Without the drugs, I mean."

Silence, for a moment.

"But I _heal,_" Laura says. "Nothing I do can hurt me. I don't need to learn anything. It's under control already."

"I won't have my daughter walking around in a drugged stupor," Sarah says. "It reflects poorly. I know that your powers have gotten much stronger lately…and I also know what you're doing to deal with them." She pauses. You can't live that way forever…and you need to learn a better way _now_. You need to learn how to _use_those powers properly."

"That's so much bullshit!" Laura snaps. "I don't need to learn how to use a power that's automatic! What do I do, stand around and heal myself? Come the fuck on!"

"Language."

"Fuck you!" The girl fumes. "I'd have to say goodbye to Megan…and aunt Debbie…"

"Not forever." Sarah pauses. "You know I love you, and want you near. But just now…you _need_to be at that school."

For a few moments, Laura is silent.

"I _hate_you. I'm not going."

"No buts," Sarah says gently. "I received your acceptance letter this morning. We're going to the school the end of this month. It'll be a chance for you to get to know your…father."

**…**

_**At**__** the **__**Xavier **__**Institute **__**in **__**New**__** York**__**…**_

"Damn, I _love _fall term."

The boy who has spoken is watching a group of students pass by, his grey-blue eyes scanning through them and picking out the girls. Specifically, the attractive ones.

He possesses this quality himself. His features are even and well placed, with an air of youth about them. His hair is thick and dark, swept back with a light layer of gel, suggesting that he puts effort into his appearance. The expensive clothes on his nicely proportioned, pale-skinned body add to this idea.

"Hell yeah, dude," his friend beside him says, in a deep, guttural voice. He has a much more startling composition; he is made entirely out of pieces of smooth, molded granite rocks. They are patched together in a craggy manner, lending the illusion of scales. His eyes are white and lack pupils.

The third boy in their posse remains silent. He has dark skin, with slightly broader features; above his full lips, his liquid brown eyes are very slightly slanted; and on top of these, his dark hair is braided tightly into rows of dreadlocks.

"Think this'll be the year?" The large boy made of rock asks.

"Yeah. She's _got_ to give in. I mean…I've been nothing but smooth with her…and we even made out a little before Summer break. That's got to mean something…right?"

"Right," his friend says. "I was talkin' about the Hellions though, dude."

"Oh." The first boy pauses, flushing very slightly. "Yeah. No doubt about that."

"What's there to doubt?" the boy who had previously been silent speaks up. "You'll lead us to victory this year, Julian…I'm sure of it."

"Would have had it last year, but the New Mutants pulled that last one out of their butts. I mean, how was that simulation even supposed to be _fair? _They have people that are _made_ to take the Hulk out!"

"Hey, _look!_" The rock boy says. "There's a car pulling up."

"Huh. Must be another student," Julian says. "Hope it's a girl. Never enough of those, am I right?"

"Always," his dark-skinned friend supports him.

"C'mon…let's roll out the welcome wagon," the boy who seems to be the leader says.

**…**

In her mother's Lexus, Laura rubs her eyes blearily. Last night had been filled with terrors; traces of the lab, visages of torture…her claws separating the flesh of nameless, faceless people.

_The__lab._The place that she doesn't think about, ever.

The car rolls to a stop. Laura refuses to look at the impressively large buildings that comprise the institute. She hates her mother for doing this—yes, hate is not too strong a word for how intensely she feels.

"Laura…"

She turns her head to the window, showing her ignorance towards her mother. Fingers touch her cheek; she pushes the hand away roughly. "_Don__'__t_ touch me!" she snaps, her hand scrambling for the handle on the side. She shoves the door open and bolts out of the car, towards the lawn.

"That's a damn fine piece of ass," she hears a boy's voice say. Then, to her: "Hey _**YOU!**_"

Laura ignores the speaker and stomps on.

"She must be on the rag or something," he murmurs. Another boy snickers. "Or a dyke."

She whirls around at this and fixes the group with a glare. "Fuck you, _all_ of you." "_HEY!__" _The boy that had spoken up glares at her, and threads of green light waft up into the air, from his eyes. He makes a fist with one hand. "Someone needs to teach you a _lesson_."

"Easy man… she's not worth it," the dark-skinned boy says, laying his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Actually, I _am_," Laura says, after summing the three boys up. The rock guy might suck a bit, but her claws can cut through anything if it comes to that. Nothing she'd like better than a fight at the moment; it might even get her sent home right away. "Too bad _you__'__re_not worth my time."

"Hear that, Brian? She _wants_ a piece." Her potential opponent stares steadily at her. "She's just begging for it."

"That makes it totally okay to beat up a girl," the large boy made of rocks standing beside him says, with a slight grin.

The mouthy boy steps toward Laura, and taps her on the shoulder. "So just what you packing?" he asked. "I can hand you your scrawny little butt without lifting a finger, so you'd better watch who you talk to in this school."

Laura thinks, then pops her claws, satisfying the itch in her knuckles.

_**SNIKT!  
><strong>_

Everyone steps back a foot involuntarily, including her opponent; although he tries to hide it with false bravado

"Wow, claws…haven't seen _that_ before," he sneers.

"Probably the reason you're still alive."

_**SNAKT!**_

She retracts the claws, and leans closer to his face. "So go ahead…_make__my__day_."

For a moment, the air is very tense between them; then the boy raises his eyebrows. "I like your attitude. Did you pick a squad yet?"

"She just got here, Julian," the dark-skinned boy named Brian says. "I doubt she even knows what a squad _is._"

"It's a—" her opponent begins, but Laura holds up her hand in his face. "I'm not going to be on any stupid squad-thing. I don't do sports."

"Fine," the boy says. He pauses, eyes her with less animosity. "What's your name, spitfire?"

"None of your concern," Laura says. She continues stomping off, hearing her mother parking the car in the _Guest_ lot. She doesn't want to see her again anytime soon.

"Jeez, what crawled up _her_butt and died?" the rock boy asks.

"Don't know," Julian says, watching her go. "She does have a nice one though."


	2. Chapter 2

****__**ANNOUNCEMENT: **_Two new stories-_Like a Boss: Tainted Love_ and _We're in This Together Now,_along with the update wave! Enjoy! :o)_****

**_A/N: _**Thanks for the reviews! Wow oscar how touching! And I understand, writing is how I relieve stress and keep happy. Glad you're enjoying my work!

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><p><strong>(Volume: 1 Arc: "Back to School" 2 Issue: 16 )  
>"Smells Like Teen Spirit"<strong>

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><p>"Keller, Julian."<p>

"Present," the boy from last week's near-introductory-fight says. He's looking to the side, down the line—past where Laura is standing. After a few moments she follows his gaze, but cannot tell who he is looking at. She assumes it is a girl.

"Kinney, Laura."

"Here."

Laura glares back at the people shooting her glances; she _hates_ being the object of public scrutiny. Everyone is doing it now—staring at her like she is an animal in a cage.

The person reading off the names adjusts the clipboard in his hands. He's covered—head to toe—in a blue, leather suit; only his mouth and chin show, as his eyes are also concealed behind a red visor.

He seems to go on forever, reading names; Laura has almost dozed off when she realizes the monotonous voice has stopped momentarily.

"Excellent, we're all present and accounted for. What a strange occurrence." There is a small ripple of laughter, and the man grins. " Welcome to the fall term; those who were here for the summer will find it's a lot more work. Classes start Monday the tenth. As we did last fall, we will be re-introducing the squads for ability development."

The man pauses. "For anyone wondering, I'm the headmaster of the school….Scott Summers. My codename is Cyclops, and _yes, _I'm an X-man. I advise the Corsairs squad, which will be led by Specter this term. And _this_ over here is the lovely headmistress of the school, Jean Grey-Summers."

Beside him, the headmistress shifts; she is a lady that Laura has seen before, on television. She had blazing red hair, green eyes, and a kind face; she's stunningly beautiful. Her body is sculpted and slender, yet curvy; and is displayed in an attractive manner, beneath a grey striped roll neck sweater and a pair of black leather pants.

"She advises the New Mutants squad, lead again by Wind Dancer and Prodigy."

The redhead smiles and waves to the students.

"The other ladies with us today are the squad leaders." Summers turns and gestures to a woman standing at his other elbow. She looks like she should be in Playboy. Clad in white leather thigh-high boots, a bikini, and a corset concealing large assets, with opera length gloves; she represents the kind of teacher that probably half the boys in this school fantasize about. In addition to the revealing clothes, her hair is bleached blond, and falls around a face that looks as if it has been made perfect by the after market.

"This is Emma Frost. She is the adviser to the Hellions squad. This will be led by Hellion, as per last year." He pauses, and steps aside slightly to gesture to another woman, this one younger than the others. She has slanted eyes, and pleasant, pretty features; she seems to be of First Nations origin "Here is Danielle Moonstar, the adviser of the Alpha Squadron, whose leader will again be…"

Laura begins to doze off again, bored out of her skull.

**…**

"…adjourned," the monotonous voice says, after what must be another hour.

Laura is fast asleep, and doesn't respond until someone pokes her.

_**"AHHHGH!" **_she shouts in surprise, startled from what had been a quality snooze. She stumbles slightly, catches herself, and flushes, knowing that other people are looking at the commotion she's causing. She jams her hands into her pockets and began to weave her way towards the entrance stairs quickly, not stopping to chat like the other students.

Her fingers encounters a piece of paper in the fabric folds, and pulling it out, she sees it is an outline of the meeting the one-eyed man has just gone over. She raises her eyebrows; when was _this _given to her?

Wrinkling her nose, Laura crumples it up into a ball and throws it at a nearby garbage can; it freezes in mid arc, surrounded by a green aura that looks vaguely familiar.

"Aren't you the least bit interested in what goes on here?" The boy from yesterday. She remembers his smooth, irritating voice as he murmured derogatory comments about her to his friends.

Laura sighs, pulls on her mitts, which she's just found in her pockets. "Leave."

"It's a free country," the boy says, stretching out his hand. The wadded ball of paper flies to his fingertips, and he opens it up, grinning. What a great excuse to talk to her. And she doesn't seem so angry now; just sleepy...so the timing is good, too.

"How you liking the school, Laura?" he asks.

"Where did you get my name from?" she retorts, her eyes narrowing. "Have you been sniffing around on me, punk?"

"I'm pretty sure the whole school knows, since Cyclops _announced _it at the assembly we both just attended." He meets her angry eyes. "It's a pretty name for a pretty girl."

"I didn't ask you," she says stiffly.

"You generally don't ask for compliments." He lifts his eyebrows slightly. "Here. I think we were both in bad moods yesterday." A hand is stretched out towards the girl, in a handshake; she stares at him for a while.

"I'm trying to be nice," he says.

"I'm not," Laura says.

The boy looks irritated. "Come on."

Laura is silent.

He looks down at the paper; then suddenly he shoves it towards her, his finger tapping the word _Hellions _under Squad choice. "This here's mine. I lead it."

"Thanks for the heads up," she says, her voice flat.

"You'll join us?" he asks.

"More like I know what to avoid now."

The boy lowers the paper. "Come _on. _I really want you to join my team. You've got freakin' claws! Like Wolverine! You're obviously made out of better stuff than the other kids here." He pauses, and eyes her again, this time letting his desire show. "And I bet you'd look _hot_ wearing our uniform. I mean, _damn._"

Laura snatches the paper from him. "Don't get any ideas, now," she says.

"What if I already have them?" he asks, in a teasing manner; he steps closer and looks down at her. He's about half a foot taller.

"I'll beat you up," she says calmly.

"Yeah, right." He stops, and Laura follows his gaze; his eyes are pointed down her top, visible from her half-zipped jacket.

_**BOMF!**_

His head snaps back, and he stumbles. "What the—"

"I warned you," she says.

The boy rubs his jaw and glares at her. "I was just—you can't blame me! They're just _there, _and I—"

"Whatever," Laura says, turning.

"Wait!" He reaches out and catches her by the shoulder. "What I really came to ask you was…do you want to, you know…hang out sometime?" His voice has lost the smoothness, and now he sounds awkward. Kind of…vulnerable.

"Honestly? Not if I can avoid it." Laura says scornfully. "Maybe if you hadn't started this off by trying to get into a fight."

"That was—can't we just start over?" he asks.

"To what, before you creeped on me, or before you threatened to teach me a lesson?"

The boy's face reddens. "Both."

"No. I don't do second chances." Laura grins.

He takes his hand off her shoulder. "Okay then. Jeez." He stands for a second looking down, then disappears between some passing students. Laura stomps up the stairs to the main building, feeling tired and apathetic.

**…**

"You hit on the new girl, didn't you?"

Julian ignores the girl talking to him, instead concentrating on his mashed potatoes. He's not hungry, but he's still going to have fun with the food. The mulch needs to be grooved, for the gravy to run down properly. He's making a volcano. This is something that is leftover from his childhood and he doubts will ever change.

"And she said no?" the girl persists.

"Lay off, Cess," Julian grumbles.

"You're obviously hurt," she says quietly.

"I said, lay off. What part didn't you understand?"

"The 'lay' and the 'off'," Cessily grins at him, her teeth very white in contrast with her shiny metal skin. The only other things about her that are not metal are her solid white eyes and her blazing red hair, which is swept back into a ponytail.

"Look, tell me. You'll feel better about it once you do. She's obviously a loser to turn you down without even getting to know you better."

Julian flushes. "She didn't turn me down. I didn't ask her out. I don't even _like_ her…even if I did, she'd just be a notch on the bedpost, know what I mean?"

"You keep a record?" the pile of rocks beside him grunts with a big stupid grin. "I thought _zero_ is an easy number to remember."

"Shut up," Julian says, but he doesn't seem angry.

"She wasn't worth it anyway, Jules," Brian says.

Julian raises his eyebrows. "I've made my peace with it, guys…move on." He looks over at another table; more specifically, at a tanned girl, throwing her head back and laughing at something her neighbor has said. She has long, glossy hair the color of ripe chestnuts, and big, beautiful brown eyes.

For a moment, his eyes shift past her, to the girl sitting alone in the corner. Her dark hair is equally shiny; her skin is pale, and she looks much less sociable. He wonders why he keeps thinking about her, since the moment he'd seen her emerge from the car. Sure, she is beautiful…but she's not the only girl here, and she has a _nasty _temper.

Secretly, he wonders if that might play a small part in matters.

As he is pondering this, Laura continues to eat her tortilla at the unassigned table, casually eavesdropping on everything in the cafeteria with her undesirably sharp senses. She's taken some pills already, and feels more relaxed than earlier, when her senses had wrapped into a ball of pain and repeatedly hit her in the face.

She hears the Hellions discuss her, and then as the topic changes to other new students. The boy seems to be concerned about who is powerful, and who is not. She hears the word '_human' _tossed around as an insult.

Meanwhile the table diagonal to them are talking about something called a _Danger Room. _It sounds like some sort of game. These kids seem to be all full of compliments for each other, and pats on the back.

Despite her grumpiness, Laura feels lonely. She misses Megan, and Aunt Debbie…even Sarah, at this moment. Even though she's still angry at the latter.

**…**

"Ah, Miss Kinney. It's nice to meet you," Scott Summers says, reaching across the table for her hand. They both remain in Laura's lap, folded; her back is ramrod straight. After a moment, he retracts the offered limb

Laura tilts her head for a moment. Summers seems to be in his early thirties, with short brown hair and a pleasant smile. Behind the red visor, she thinks his eyes may be blue, and briefly wonders why he keeps them covered all the time.

"It's okay, I understand that you didn't want to come here," he says in a kind voice. "It's hard to find out that you're a mutant."

"I've had my powers as long as I can remember," Laura says flatly. She doesn't blink. This is something she likes to do to figures of authority—stare at them, unwaveringly, unti they look away. For some reason, her eyes do not smart when she holds them open for long periods of time; no one has ever beat her at a staring contest.

"I see." Summers makes a note on his pad. "So, how are you liking the school, Laura? Any questions so far?"

"Do you take Viagra every day, or was last night your first time?" Laura asks, persistent in her belief that if she does poorly—or gets expelled from the school—then Sarah will come and retrieve her.

"Mhmm. Wha—_Miss Kinney_." Summers clears his throat. "I understand what you're trying to do. You're a brilliant girl—you will be studying with Mrs. Summers and Dr. McCoy to see what they can do to expand your knowledge, amongst others. Your grades have always been astoundingly high—one hundred percent average is, well, unheard of. However, records indicate that you have a tendency to get into fights."

Laura shifts. "You actually bother looking at records for this dump?"

"If they are available, yes," Summers says, ignoring her insult of the school. "This former behavior has been taken into consideration were squad placing is concerned. Miss Kinney, you have been hand-picked by Emma Frost for her Hellions squad."

"That's great. Wait a minute—_**WHAT?" **_Laura leaps to her feet. "You burn that piece of paper, right now."

"Why?" Summers asks, surprised.

"That man whore Keller leads it," the girl says, her voice full of loathing.

Summers can't help it; a small smile makes it past his restraint. "I take it you've met the squad's leader, then?"

"_He_ met _me_," Laura says angrily. "I do not want to participate in this 'squad'. I have perfect control over my powers. I can blend into society."

"Your mother would like us to instruct you in defense, Miss Kinney."

Laura falls silent, knowing her argument is lost. Her mother, her mother. Quietly but firmly making decisions behind her back, neatly deconstructing her life.

"That is all for today, Miss Kinney. You will be meeting with Emma this Monday, at four PM, after your first classes. Please be prepared; you will need to think up a codename that encompasses your powers, and which you will answer to while in uniform." He gives her a smile. "You're lucky, Emma lets her students choose their own names. Dani and Jean don't."

Laura closes her eyes.

**…**

"There a Laura Kinney here?" a gruff voice at the door asks.

Laura looks over her shoulder at the door. _Wolverine_. How awkward. He is apparently back from his elaborate, time-consuming mission, and is here to meet the 'daughter' he's known about but has never cared enough about to check up on.

What does one say in such a situation?

She gets up, and after a few moments, opens the door pensively. "Yes?"

"'llo." Wolverine is surprisingly short; she'd expected him to tower above her, but he is, in reality, only about four inches taller than herself. He looks mean and rough; his messy dark hair flies every which way, and his blue eyes look faded and weary.

Laura wishes desperately that she was anywhere but here. She lowers her head.

"Hi," she said in a small voice. "You're Wolverine?"

"You can call me 'Logan', kid. Won't even make you say 'mister'."

He touches Laura's chin to lift it up.

_**AWKWARD!**_ she thought, jerking her head away in irritation.

"You're almost identical to your mom," he says, sounding surprised.

"Yes," Laura said. She didn't feel so talkative.

"Thought you'd look more like me. All things considered."

"Huh?" Laura unfolds her arms.

"Well…you are my clone, after all. Right?"

**…**

"_**WHAT THE FUCK, MOM? WHAT THE FUCK?"**_ Laura pounds her fist into the tabletop, ignoring Wolverine's attempts to calm her down as she screams into the mouthpiece of the telephone at the top of her lungs. "_**HOW**_ could you not _**TELL**_ me? _**OH MY GOD! I'M JUST A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT! *YOUR* SCIENCE EXPERIMENT!"**_

Silence, on the other end, except for Sarah breathing.

Laura stares at the table for a moment, then hurls the cordless phone, the receiver, the lamp, and the table the whole display sits on at the wall. Everything breaks, with loud crunching and crackling noises.

"Kid—" the man says in the background.

"Leave me alone," Laura says.

"Kid…I didn't know she didn't tell you….I…I wouldn't have said anything…" Wolverine looks just the smallest bit disturbed. Laura is clenching her fists so hard they are shaking.

_**SNIKT! **_

"Huh. You have less than I do." Logan rubs his chin.

Laura pauses, studying the older man. "Please, leave. I'll…I'll talk to you later, when I'm not so upset. I need to be alone now."

He nods. She hears the door close behind him.

Laura sits on the edge of the bed and holds her face in her hands.

**…**

"Kinney! Hey, _Kinney!_"

Laura's neck twitches in irritation, as the boy comes jogging towards her, his breath coming in puffs in the cool autumn air.

"I thought I told you I wanted nothing to do with you," she says, when he reaches her.

"So did I." The boy pauses. "But you picked my squad, after all. I'm guessing you changed your mind."

"You've been misinformed. _I_ was picked _for_ your squad. I had no choice." Laura wrinkles her nose. "I hate this school."

He frowns. "But it's _great_ here. Give it a chance." He pauses. "Give _us_ a chance."

Laura looks up, but she can't forget the first impression he'd made on her. "I want to go home. I hate it here, I hate everyone, and most of all I hate _you_. I really wish you'd leave me alone so I could be miserable in peace."

"Doesn't misery love company though?" he asks.

"Not _your _company." She looks down. "Really, can't you just go away? It's not that hard."

The boy pauses. "Laura—look, if we're going to be on the same unit, we at least have to be civil to each other. I know I shouldn't have…done that the other day. But maybe you should be flattered instead of insulted."

Laura stares at him. "Did you really just…oh god. You are to vomit." She rips her hand out of his attempt to grasp her wrist so fast that he was left holding her glove. "Leave me alone, _forever_."

"No! I didn't mean that…dammit Laura! I just said that wrong!" He holds her mitt, feeling useless and furious at himself. "Look… I _like_ you. I want to be your friend. You're really…interesting."

"Well, you're _not!" _Laura retorts, sneering. "You're just another douche bag. Get the hell out of my face, Keller. There's no way I'm going to join a group of kids called _Hellion and the Hellions. _Who the fuck does that?"

"I didn't. Just listen." Keller puts his hands on her shoulders. "Emma Frost asked me to pick a name. I knew she had a group of students called that before. I decided I liked the sound…it was so cool, and I wanted to prove I was worth her time. I didn't know she was going to form a squad named that again…and I was embarrassed." He grins slightly.

Laura raises her eyebrows. "You, embarrassed? I wouldn't think you'd know what that emotion _is._"

"Sure I do." He pauses. "Not my fault I don't have much cause to feel it."

"Spare me." Laura shoves him away and takes off across the grounds, not even bothering to retrieve the mitt he still holds.

Julian watches her go, and for the third time in a short period, finds himself feeling angry that he hadn't handled the interaction better…at the same time that he's studying her behind and thinking she looks as good going as she does coming.

**…**

_Knock knock knock._

Laura tears the door open. She had leapt out of her bed and run to the entrance well before the rapping began; this was because she had known he was coming the second he made the turn to her hallway.

"What do you _want?" _Laura's enraged eyes search his.

After a moment of recovery, Keller holds up the mitt she'd left behind outside. "Thought you might want this back."

"It's contaminated now." Laura leans back and makes a disgusted face. "You got your slime on it."

"Oh come _on._" Keller seems annoyed, and he tries to hand the mitt to her; he succeeds in pushing it into her hand, only to have it dropped.

"What the _hell_ is your problem?" he fumes, finally pushed beyond the limit of his patience. "I'm trying to be _nice _to you! I don't offer my friendship to everyone, you know!"

"That's exactly why I don't want it," Laura says, her eyes narrowed. "I'm not going to be the friend of someone who seems to think he's 'the chosen one'. Well, I have a news flash for you!" She grins. "You're not special. You're average. You're _weak. _You might as well be a _human._"

Keller's eyes widen dramatically, and she knows her words have hit home. "What the—what did you just call me?"

"_Human_," Laura arches her eyebrows. "You shouldn't even be at this school."

The boy studies her for a few moments, his eyes narrowing to squints. Laura realizes she's had the luck to touch on a major sore spot, and a fight is about to break out. The fight that could get her expelled from here!

"This from the _clone,_" Keller says suddenly. "Word is you're nothing but a cheap knock-off of Wolverine. _You're _not even original."

Laura is moving before she realizes it.

_**KA-SMACK!**_

"_**URF!" **_Keller's head moves to the side; when she lowers her hand, she can see an outline of her fingers on the skin of his cheek, blazoned in purple. In her delicate ears, the hallways are still echoing slightly with the fleshy sound.

"You stop talking right now, you piece of shit!" she snaps.

"That's _**IT!"**_ Keller roars. "I'm _**DONE **_withbeing nice!"

He barrels into her room, knocking her to the ground in a twisted, squirming mass. Laura swings her booted foot up as hard as she can, but finds it blocked by an invisible resistance. As he struggles to force his fist down into her face, she bites the knuckles.

"Grr!" he shouts, yanking his fist back. "What—"

_**BONK! **_Her forehead colliding with his. Really, really hard.

"Woah!" Keller sits up and sways, with an odd look.

He doesn't see Laura's fist coming in for a knockout punch.

**…**

"…where…" Julian sits up, too fast, and feels the room rush around him. What room is he _in? _His head hurts. He holds his face with his hand, and tries to focus.

"Don't move so fast," Laura's voice, from the corner of the room. He peers through his fingers and makes out that she is sitting on the chair, by her desk…and she is holding a nail file, casually grooming her nails.

Julian blinks.

"I knocked you out," she says. "You probably have a mild concussion. So stay _down, _you idiot…or you could make it worse."

"…so I just lie here?" he asks, confused.

"Yup."

"I thought we were fighting," he says.

"Yup."

Silence.

"What about now?" he asks.

"Well, I figured it ended with me knocking you out. Unless you want me to kill you. Actually, wish I had. I would've done the world a favor."

Julian reaches up and wipes his nose; when he looks at the back of his hand, there is blood. "Shit," he says.

"I hit you _hard._" Laura's voice is full of satisfaction.

He flushes in embarrassment. Now everyone's going to know he lost a fight to a _girl. _Actually—to begin with—_he _will be looked upon poorly for fighting with a girl in the fist place. There's no way he can come out of this looking good.

"You're such a bitch," he murmurs.

"And you're a cocksure asshole." She sneers down at him. "Get the hell out of my room, Keller."

Gritting his teeth, Julian scrapes himself off the ground and lunges for the door, slamming it behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**(Volume: 1 Arc: "Back to School" 2 Issue: 2/6 )  
>"Classmates"<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hey, isn't that our new teammate?" Cessily asks.<p>

Julian looks up from his plate, follows his friend's gaze, and blanches. "Uh-hhh-" he says. "No."

"Yeah it is, dude," the big rock boy beside him says. "You were all excited about her _claws _the other day…and I know for a fact that _she's_ got some."

"Shut up, Santo." Julian wants to hide, but can't.

Cessily waves her hand enthusiastically. "Hey, _**YOU!" **_

Laura turns around. She'd been wandering around with her loaded tray, unable to find a seat; suddenly a girl from the Hellion's table calls out to her, waving a metallic arm in a friendly gesture. After a moment's consideration she approaches—and spots Keller, his face covered in large bruises.

She grins.

"_So_," she says. "Someone finally put you in your place, huh?"

Julian grits his teeth and says nothing.

"She don't sound so friendly," Santo says, looking at Laura apprehensively. "You sure she ain't gonna mess up the squad?"

"I won't mess up your squad because I won't _be_ on it," she says smugly. "I will go as far as faking my own death to avoid association with your group."

Silence, for a moment. Julian folds his arms.

_**"HAHAHA!" **_Cessily bursts out laughing. "You're _hilarious! _Sit down, girl." She shifts over on the bench and pats the spot beside her. Laura considers the offer for a moment, then plonks her tray down at the Hellion's table.

"So, where are you from, Laura?" the boy from the other day—Brian—asks.

She scowls at him, remembering his suggestion that she is a dyke. And suddenly, she realizes how badly she can screw with all of them. They don't know that she's overheard _everything_ they've been saying.

"San Francisco," Laura says. "I miss it. The girls here are _nothing_ in comparison."

Everyone stiffens and stares at her-for different reasons. Cessily actually turns in her seat to look at her new neighbor.

"You're a—"

"Yup," Laura says, very satisfied with the outcome of her idea. "Should have seen the _damn fine piece of ass_ I was bagging before I got here."

Julian raises his eyebrows.

"Wow," Cessily says.

"Uh—" Santo says.

Another girl, sitting at the end of the table, appears confused. She is wearing an _abaya _with a _niqab, _leaving just a slit of dark skin visible around her big, liquid brown eyes. She has no plate in front of her.

Laura has no idea how she knows the proper names for her head garments.

"I do not understand," this girl says.

Cessily's head swivels towards the speaker. "She's, uh…she likes _girls, _Sooraya."

The girl's eyes widen visibly under the garment. "But…that is a _sin._"

"That's _hot,_" Santo blurts with effort. Kind of like he has been struggling to speak for a while.

Laura takes a bite of her sandwich and begins to chew. "Hey, sorry about the other day, when I tried to fight you all," she says with her mouth full.

"Uh—" the rock boy replies.

Julian looks suspicious. "That's okay," he says, still watching her without eating.

"I was _so_ on the rag," Laura continues. "Like you have no idea. I think I might have expelled some organs."

Brian, who has food in his mouth, gags slightly. Santo blinks; again, Cessily turns to look at the new girl. "_Huh?_" she asks.

"What is—" Sooraya looks confused.

"Her period," the last unidentified member of the table says. A boy. He has pale skin and semi-long brown hair. His features are nicely shaped and sport multiple piercings: through his eyebrow, his ears, and a small one in his nose. His dark clothing covers him from neck to toe, and appears to be made of a blend of lycra and vinyl.

"It's over now," Laura says. "By the way, _Jules, _sorry to hear that your attempts with the new girl were unsuccessful. It must have hurt." She pauses. "She so _was_ worth it, though…for me anyway. She might act like some crawled up her butt and died…she's got a nice one, though."

"_**WHAT?" **_Cessily yelps beside her.

"Uh—" Santo says.

"That's it!" Brian shouts, getting to his feet.

Julian holds up his hand. "Cool it, guys. Don't you see what's going on?"

All eyes turn to him.

"She's playing us. This is like our last few days' worth of conversation being regurgitated."

Laura grins. "Very clever. Should I tell them what _else_ I heard about you?"

Julian glares at her.

They speak at the same time.

"She's a clone!"Julian almost yells.

"He got beat up by a _girl_." Laura says mildly.

Santo snorts. Cessily covers her mouth. The pierced boy grins slightly. And Julian closes his eyes. "Can you just _go, _Kinney?"

"I'm eating." Laura takes another bite of her sandwich. "So, how's the bedpost coming? Still empty?"

He flushes. "Fuck you."

"I wouldn't want to corrupt an innocent virgin," Laura retorts.

"Guys—" Cessily says, at the side. "I don't know what's going on between you two…but could we all agree to have lunch in peace?"

"Wha—wait a minute. She's a clone?" Brian asks.

"What is a _clone?_" Sooraya asks.

"It means she's not _real,_" Julian says meanly. "She's a copy. She shouldn't even exist."

"Julian—" Cessily begins.

"So _who_ are you a clone of, Laura_?_" The unidentified boy asks.

Everyone turns their head to her.

"Wolverine," she says.

"Holy _shit! _Dude, are you serious?" Santo asks.

"You _saw_ her claws," Julian says, annoyed.

"Yeah but—" the rock boy pauses. "Can you do _everything _he can do?"

"Pretty much," Laura says. "Except stand to piss."

"That's awesome, man," Brian says, grinning.

Julian winces. "Come _on, _guys. I can't believe you still think she's cool after what she was doing earlier!"

"Well…" his friend trails off.

"Not like _you've_ been all that great to _her,_ Julian," Cessily says. "From the sounds of it, anyway." She smiles at Laura slightly. "Hey! Do you have a _code name_ yet?"

"For what?" Laura replies. "Oh, your stupid squad?"

"It is _not_ stupid," Julian says through his teeth.

"Well, the group is only as smart as it's leader, right?" she counters.

"My name is Mercury," Cessily says. "Since I'm, y'know, made of nothing but."

"I'm Tag," Brian offers.

"Rockslide." Santo grins. "I wanted Rocky but didn't want the movie association."

"Dust…" Sooraya says uncertainly.

"And I'm Wither," the boy at the end says. "My real name is Kevin Ford. Nice to meet you, Laura."

"Same," she says. "_You_ seem pretty cool." She doesn't look at Julian, but Cessily does, and notices him flush sightly.

"Mine is—" he starts.

"We went over that already," Laura reminds him. "Hellion and the Hellions, remember? Might as well just have called yourself Jesus."

Santo snorts again. "I like her."

"God, way to back me up," Julian grumbles.

"So who are _you_ going to be, Laura?" Cessily asks.

"Not participating, remember?" She props her elbow on the table and leans her head on her hand.

"Come on. It's so much fun!" Cessily says. "And trust me…you'll get _a lot_ better with your powers and combat skills…really fast."

Laura raises her eyebrows. "Is that so?"

"Yup." The metal girl grins. "You should pick your name now."

"Dude! _Claws!_" the big boy made of rocks barks, like he's had a revelation

"Wow, Santo," Julian says scornfully. "That's about as dumb as you are. How about Wolverine? _Oops! _Guess it's taken, huh?"

"Stop being a jerk," Cessily says. "How about Talon?" she suggests, seriously.

"I'm not a bird," Laura says.

"Huntress?" Brian chimes in.

"Uh, no."

"Kevin? Any suggestions?" Cessily asked, looks hopefully down the table; and Laura detects a slight change in her metallic scent. Hormones fluctuating.

"Nope. I'm not much for the school names." Kevin grins.

"I was right, you _are _pretty cool," Laura comments.

"Sooraya? Want to comment?" Cessily asks.

"I…I do not know. I am not the best person to ask." Sooraya looks down. Laura finds herself wondering why the girl is _here_ at the table. She seems uncomfortable most of the time, and isn't even eating.

"How about _you_, Laura? Any suggestions?" Cessily asks.

Laura looks at her plate. She already _has_ a codename, but doesn't want it.

"Nope," she says.

"Well, you still have time." Cessily smiles. "We could sit down with a dictionary later…some magazines…something might pop out."

"Maybe."

The conversation moves on, and Laura finishes eating, then takes off for her first class: eleventh grade Biology

**…**

Laura hears footsteps approaching the empty classroom, and she looks up just as the door opens to reveal...

"Aw, shit," Keller says, seeing her.

Her heart sinks. She'd been certain that he'd be ahead of her in grade level...and that they wouldn't have to share any classes.

They stare at each other for a moment.

"I'll sit in the way far corner. You stay away from me, Kinney…got it?"

"I 'got it' before _you_ did, remember?" Laura arches her eyebrows.

The boy scowls, moves into the classroom and plunks his stack of books down on the table he's chosen, then sits down. "That trick you pulled earlier was _not_ cool…not one little bit," he says.

"What? Reminding you of what you've said?" she asks. "I thought that was very cool."

"I'm sure you did. But I meant how you told them…about you beating me up."

"That's funny as hell."

"No, it _isn't!_" Julian turns around in his seat and glares at her. "That was really embarrassing."

"Kind of how like you're behind in school?" she asks.

He freezes. "What? How did you—"

"You look like you're eighteen. So you should be graduating this year. And yet…here you are, in my class."

Julian pauses. "I fell behind when I got my powers. What's your excuse?"

"Seventeen years old," Laura says smugly. "So _I'm _right on schedule."

"I hate you, Kinney."

"I assure you, Keller…the feeling is mutual."

Julian says nothing.

Laura tilts her head, hearing someone else approaching; a few moments later the door opens, and in steps a big, furry blue cat—walking on its hind legs. It is wearing a lab coat, and carrying a stack of books; on its muzzle are a small pair of golden eyeglasses.

"Good afternoon, students," it says cheerfully, in a deep, rumbling voice that is decidedly male.

"Hi, Dr. McCoy," Julian says, in a polite tone that makes Laura look at him in amazement. It's like night and day.

"Hello, Mr. Keller." The teacher turns his eyes to her. "And who have we here?"

"Laura Kinney," she says.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Kinney." Dr. McCoy pauses. "I hope you are enjoying the school so far?"

"I don't want to be here," Laura says. After a moment: "I guess it's nice enough."

Julian turns around in his seat to look at her in similar astonishment. She affects to ignore him.

"Splendid," Dr. McCoy beams.

Other students begin to filter in, and soon the lesson begins.

**…**

After class, Laura heads towards Chemistry—closely followed by Julian. When they reach the door, he rolls his eyes, finally giving up hope that she is headed for somewhere else. "You've got to be joking."

"Nope," she says, wrinkling her nose. "Well, _damn. _There goes my plan of avoiding you as much as humanly possible."

"Ditto." Julian kicks the ground. "At least Sofia's in this class. Should be enough so that you don't totally spoil it for me."

"Who the hell is Sofia?" Laura asks. She has a thought. "Wait—is it that girl you always stare at during lunch?"

Julian flushes. "I do _not _stare," he says.

"Yeah, you do." She smirks. "I can't blame her for not being interested."

"Don't lie, Kinney…it makes you seem cheap," he says, sneering. "I guess you can't help what you are, though."

"You're just upset that I wouldn't let you have any of my '_fine piece of ass'_," she retorts.

Julian glowers at her. "Shut up with that. Just…shut up, okay? I didn't know you were basically the world's biggest asshole."

"Takes one to know one," Laura counters.

They exchange glares.

"Fuck you," Julian says.

"Fuck you, too," she replies, wrinkling her nose.

A moment of silence passes between them.

"Whatever," he decides. "At least I don't have to sit near you."

This proves to be untrue, as he opens the door and sees that the classroom is just about full of loud, rambunctious students. He grits his teeth, seeing that Sofia is already sitting with someone else—_Laurie, _the mousy blond-haired girl with smell powers. He storms over to what seems to be the last empty table, and sits down.

Laura looks around, then heads for the table as well.

"Oh no you don't," he warns her, stretching his arms out on either side of the table. "This one's taken."

"It's the last one," she says.

"Tough." Julian opens his book with his mind.

"_**ATTENTION, CLASS!" **_The teacher, a woman with mousy brown hair with bangs, announces at the top of a squeaky voice. She has thin features, wide eyes, and is dressed conservatively. "Everyone has a seat?"

Laura raises her hand.

"Oh. Why don't you sit with…" the woman's eyes scan the crowd. "Ah, _Keller! _Perfect. Have a seat, Ms. Kinney."

"I hate you," Julian murmurs as the girl puts her books down on his table.


End file.
